What happens when…
Thumbing through endless reels and Twitter threads might be fun digital junk fodder for the brain, but with rates of addiction on the rise, is it time to cut back?
under-35s. But addiction is as much about feelings as figures. Unsure where you stand? Google the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale.
01 Use or abuse?
We’ve fallen in deep. On average, we check our phones every 12 minutes. A new Ofcom report says we spend two hours and 29 minutes on social media each day – that’s 15% of your waking life. Two in five adults grab their phone within five minutes of waking up, rising to 65% for the
04 Soothe operators
We reach for our phones in response to negative emotions. Social media sites are like painkillers. ‘They function to soothe us the way a dummy might soothe a baby,’ says Alter. ‘They deliver low-level rewards, demand very little from us and lull us into a trance.’ So remember this next time you feel the urge to reach for your phone.
02 Reeling you in
The more time you spend scrolling, the more profit apps make. Like sweets, it brings pleasure without satiating. ‘Their primary tool is to short-circuit the stopping cues that normally shuffle us on to a new activity,’ says Adam Alter, author of Irresistible: The Rise Of Addictive Technology And The Business Of Keeping Us Hooked. A never-ending newsfeed is bad news for your bra
